Opposing Views on King Henry VII

Compare / Contrast
Cunningham, Sean. Henry VII. London: Routledge, 2007.
Tey, Josephine. The Daughter of Time. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1979.

King Henry VII, although often overlooked as a "boring" monarch, was in fact a very interesting character with an eventful reign, and the subject of the two books we shall be examining over the coming pages. Perhaps most useful to us will be an understanding of Henry's personality as it has been portrayed by the authors Sean Cunningham and Josephine Tey, and any generalizations which we may see creeping into their descriptions. Then we will consider the intended audiences for these works '" that is, to whom they are likely to appeal, and who is expected to benefit from reading them '" as well as the authors' reasons for writing them in the first place. Let us finally take a look at the simple but very important matter of whether they are interesting and easy to follow, or if we could all be better off by leaving these particular works on the bookstore shelf.

Cunningham and Tey draw quite contradictory pictures of Henry Tudor. Tey portrays him as a despicable villain, while Cunningham sees him as a much deeper man, possessing, indeed, many admirable qualities. It is ironic to note that while Tey repeatedly reminds us of the humanity of historical figures, she does not grant this trait to King Henry VII; thus her argument is inherently flawed. In Tey's defense, however, Daughter of Time is a book written primarily about Richard III, and can't have been expected to go in depth about other monarchs. Cunningham's book, on the other hand, is significantly longer than Tey's and focuses specifically on Henry; this being the case, Cunningham is able to paint a more sympathetic picture of the first Tudor king.

In Cunningham's Henry VII, Henry is portrayed as a haunted man, fearful and insecure in his reign, but surprisingly loyal and good-natured. Cunningham's Henry is a man who remembers his debts, believing that one good turn deserves another. Only one example of this is the anger he provoked in Charles VIII of France when he, Henry, insisted on defending Brittany in return for the goodness they had shown him. Henry is also viewed as merciful, forgiving those who conspire against him. This is certainly a far cry from Tey's Henry, who methodically murders all who could challenge his might. Yet let us not dismiss this side of him, for even according to Cunningham, the English king imprisoned certain innocent men merely for their blood ties and political positions. Cunningham acknowledges that Henry was nervous, but Tey openly condemns him as a coward. Cunningham's Henry is certainly more human than Tey's: he is a fearful man, but a good one; his survival, in spite of Yorkist unrest, is extremely impressive and was obtained only through a perfect mix of generosity and heavy-handed justice. Tey's Henry, in contrast, is seen in a shallow light, and portrayed as the very epitome of wickedness.

While someone may certainly enjoy both of these books equally, I find it likely that Tey's Daughter of Time will appeal to a larger audience than will Cunningham's Henry VII. Josephine Tey has written a brief mystery novel, as opposed to Cunningham's longer, more scholarly book. I don't doubt that Mr. Cunningham is passionate about his subject matter, but his book is written as something of a default: it has not yet been done, and so the task falls to him. His intent is to write an informative book about an all-too-often overlooked figure in English history, and his audience is narrow, restricted to those who are interested in this period of time and who don't mind reading a somewhat lengthy, non-fiction piece of work. A fanciful young person with little interest in history would not pick up Sean Cunningham's book, but the same is not true of Josephine Tey's. Her intent in writing Daughter of Time was not to overwhelm readers with facts, but to convince us to question things which we have always held to be true. In this sense her work can be read not only by those who enjoy history, but also by those who enjoy philosophy. She asks why we believe the things we do, capturing the interest of the psychological individual. Most notable, Tey's story is a work of fiction, and mystery fiction at that; it is likely therefore that her book will be read and enjoyed by people from all walks of life. The same cannot be said for Sean Cunningham.

For many of the reasons mentioned above, Tey's book not only has a wider audience but is also more readable than is Cunningham's. Sean Cunningham writes history in its traditional sense and form: that is, facts and dates. It is more than mere memorization, and some bits are genuinely interesting, but one never loses sight of the fact that he or she is reading a historical biography. Tey's novel certainly has its share of facts and dates, but they are put forth in the guise of a fictitious narrative. While this may seem like a childish way of "tricking" people into reading history, it is surprisingly effective, as it allows so much room for humor and charm. Humor and charm, if nothing else, are what make Daughter of Time more interesting than Henry VII.

This said, however, let us not believe Cunningham's work to be entirely boring. He is able to go far more in depth than is Josephine Tey, and thus is able to slip in bits of genuinely interesting material between all the facts. Tey's story, while interesting to read as a fiction, does have a habit of coming off as bland in its statements of what happened and when it happened. At some points, a careful reader can see the distinct lines where Tey's book leaves the world of fiction and enters the world of fact; this is not a problem, of course, in Cunningham's work, which focuses only on one historical figure rather than multiple invented ones. Cunningham relates several thrilling battles which Tey neglects to mention altogether, and he, unlike Tey, immerses us quite fully and decidedly in the world of King Henry VII.

Over the past several pages I have endeavored to draw relevant comparisons and contrasts between the books Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey and Henry VII by Sean Cunningham. We looked at the authors' opposing characterizations of the first Tudor monarch, establishing that Cunningham's painting of said king is much more personable and, in all likelihood, much less exaggerated. Next we considered the reasons our authors had for composing these works, and saw that while Cunningham's motivations were only scholarly, Tey's were philosophical. At last we asked the simple question: which book is easier to read? The answer was in favor of Tey, whose novel is simple and fun. My personal preference leans toward Tey's light-hearted fiction, but my academic mind cannot ignore the importance of Cunningham's in-depth study. I confess I do not feel that either book is perfect, but both offer something valuable to the reader.